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You Broke This Week's Poll

By cgrotke | Wed, November 13 2013

Somehow y'all broke this week's poll about where to put the skatepark. Our best guess is that the poor poll software couldn't keep up people changing their votes and write in options, but it is just a guess.

Before it blew up, the ranked, extremely-informal results were as follows:

It's a pity you have to ask this question Chris and I don't enjoy bringing this up, but think it's necessary with all the past controversy surrounding and behind the skate park issue.

Considering actual citizen participation on this matter was once effectively dismissed and overridden by domineering assertions of preference predetermined from positions of authority in the absence of voters examination is cause enough for scrutiny. By town officials once preemptively setting limitations of public accessibility to the process intentionally disabled and foreshortened a wide range of mounting concerns of impacts and adequate planning citizens publicly brought to the town's attention over the years to be addressed when pushing for an open evaluation process for a suitable and safe skate park location. These were denied recognition, the rest you know as history.

Now that Resolution has been finally attained for all, the indiscretions on both sides I'm sure we'd all like to forget and put behind us.

However those outraged by the recent select board results may find motive to sway public opinion back to where they controlled choice before a site selection process has even begun for a thorough evaluation of criteria and try to influence a committee that has yet to be formed. I wouldn't put it past a few people I know of to encourage such behavior to secure an advantage and site reference to this poll to support their arguments, sorry to say but that is just my opinion after all I've heard.

A poll is not a conclusive process obviously, possibly more a media condensed substitute sometimes superficial in context on any given day, but can have some of the same lasting power and influence for the development of community decision making. If it ends in an inaccurate representation of community opinion, it can give the wrong impression affecting the outcome to be. Knowing what I know, the timing (not accusing ibrattleboro of anything at all), I don't really see this poll as totally harmless or innocuous when projected as a reflection of general consensus and is externally tampered with or altered compared to winter's less disputed comfort foods let's say, although I like and thank you for that particular culinary poll. Go Beef Stew!

Is there a way to set up these polls so that people can only vote once? (I know it seems ridiculous that you would even have to do that - it would seem the logical and ethical thing to just vote once but...)
I have participated on other online polls where once your vote is in -that's it -you can't vote again. (Unless you're using a different email/online name, I guess)
While I very much enjoy the more 'whimsical' posts on ibrattleboro (comfort foods; winter predictions, etc.) I also like seeing polls with more provocative questions. It's unfortunate that the last poll turned into such an
unnecessary brouhaha.

Why list the results if they are not accurate??, Is it possible people could have somehow of voted more than once for a particular site? Don Dompier wanted me to suggest land next to the Racket Ball Club owned by the town as another possible site and would be a significant amount of land. It is my understanding the Tennis Club and Racket Ball Club already have a 100 yr. lease with the town there. It seems this could be a wetland area though and involve a good amount of site work $$ and does not have complete/safe sidewalk access. Home Depot Building could possibly be a year round facility possibly shared with BCDD, could even have a skate board shop run in some of the space if some entrepreneur wanted to start a business there. This would only be a viable site if the initial savings in construction offset the rental expenses and the projected timeline is within reason.

Oh, come on, people! These polls are supposed to be fun and, sure, somewhat informative. But they certainly (I don't think) are meant to be the final, 'official' word on anything. Because this poll happened to be about the skate park people get all bent out of shape and upset because the poll numbers are "not official". There are plenty of other opportunities to complain, advocate, discuss (endlessly) the pros and cons of the skate park. Can't these polls be seen as something interesting and fun to participate in without it turning into a big political thing? This is why we can't have nice things....

I just figured I had to be logged in to vote, and that the computer system would only let me vote once. I had no idea I could "vote early and often." Didn't even try. The biggest (only reliable?) fact to come out here is that there must be some people amongst us who clearly are not trustworthy and ethical. How sad. Forget complaining about Washington politics, perhaps we should turn our attention to our own neighborhoods.

"You Broke This Weeks Poll" or this weeks poll already broke ranking. It is too bad this has become such a serious topic for those who struggled to make it happen, let the process begin on a clear slate.

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